The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a warning that hunger and malnutrition levels are rapidly worsening across Ethiopia, where more than 10 million people are currently experiencing acute food insecurity. This includes approximately 3 million internally displaced persons, many of whom have been affected by conflict and severe climate conditions. Speaking during a virtual press briefing from Geneva, WFP Country Director in Ethiopia Zlatan Milišić reported that over 4.4 million pregnant women and children under the age of five urgently require treatment for malnutrition.
Child wasting rates have exceeded the emergency threshold of 15 percent in several regions of the country. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating due to a combination of armed conflict, climate-related shocks, economic instability, and widespread displacement. These conditions are placing severe pressure on Ethiopia’s food systems and humanitarian infrastructure. Ethiopia is also experiencing increased strain due to the arrival of refugees from neighboring countries facing insecurity. These new arrivals are adding to the demand for limited humanitarian resources.
In the past 18 months, the WFP has reduced food rations by 60 percent for approximately 800,000 refugees due to funding constraints. Assistance for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups within Ethiopia has been cut by 80 percent over the last nine months. This week, WFP suspended malnutrition treatment services for around 650,000 women and children as a result of critically low food stocks and a lack of funding.
Milišić stated that without immediate intervention, over 3.6 million of the most vulnerable Ethiopians risk losing access to humanitarian support in the near future. The WFP is seeking $222 million in funding by September to continue delivering food, nutrition, and cash-based assistance to Ethiopia. Without this funding, food and cash distributions may be halted entirely by June. The WFP continues to monitor the situation and is appealing for urgent international support to maintain essential operations. – By MENA Newswire News Desk.